Golf is in mourning. Grayson Murray, 30, PGA Tour player and world number 58, died this morning. The announcement was made by Jay Monahan, commissioner of the American circuit. Murray was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, and had been playing on the PGA since 2017 where he had also won two tournaments, the last one in January in Hawaii, the Sony Open. The causes of death are not yet known. Murray was playing the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas and yesterday he withdrew after 16 holes of the second round. The organizers, after speaking with Murray’s parents, announced that the tournament will continue.
who was murray
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Grayson Murray had attended Wake Forest University, East Carolina University and Arizona State University, and later won the 2017 Barbasol Championship and the 2024 Sony Open in Hawaii. His youth career was exceptional: after winning three consecutive IMG Junior World titles starting in 2006, he became the second youngest player to make the cut in a Korn Ferry Tour event, at age 16. He also participated in the 2013 US Open in Merion as an amateur. He had recently confessed his problems with depression also linked to alcoholism. “The best and worst thing that ever happened to me was winning my rookie year,” he said. “I think alcohol brought out a side of me that wasn’t myself. In a way it was the monster in me.” Immediately after the victory in January he told himself without hiding his fears: “It’s not easy. Many times I thought about giving up. Giving up on myself. Giving up the game of golf. Giving up on life, sometimes.” Then he thanked the his fiancée, who he was soon to marry: “When you’re tired of fighting, let someone else fight for you.” This year Murray had participated in the first two majors of the season and in both cases had made the cut.
